A new paper that uses the
temperature record from Byrd Station, a scientific outpost in the center of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS),
says that the western part of the ice sheet is experiencing nearly twice as much warming as previously thought.
The temperature record from Byrd Station shows an increase of 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit in average annual temperature since 1958, three times faster than the average temperature rise around the globe. If those older temperature readings are accurate, this temperature increase is nearly double what previous examinations have suggested. Our record suggests that continued summer warming in West Antarctica could upset the surface mass balance of the ice sheet, so that the region could make an even bigger contribution to sea level rise than it already does, said David Bromwich, professor of geography at Ohio State University and senior research scientist at the Byrd Polar Research Center.